'Magic' medicine

Wednesday

Aug 24, 2011 at 12:01 AMAug 24, 2011 at 10:00 AM

Nationwide Children's Hospital decided to spruce things up a bit for its 120th anniversary, doubling its Downtown footprint with a major campus expansion that will make it the second largest pediatric hospital and research center in America - and the No. 1 nicest.

Nationwide Children’s Hospital decided to spruce things up a bit for its 120th anniversary, doubling its Downtown footprint with a major campus expansion that will make it the second largest pediatric hospital and research center in America — and the No. 1 nicest.

The hospital Monday unveiled conceptual plans for bright and fun hospital interiors, better security, outdoor play areas and other educational and entertainment amenities to make the patient experience every bit as top-notch as its world-class medical care.

“No child should ever have to leave central Ohio to receive the absolute finest care available,” said Abigail Wexner, chairwoman of the Nationwide Children’s Board of Directors.

The plans take into account that this hospital’s patients are not just sick people, but children — for whom play, imagination and tenderness are effective medicine.

The new campus pays attention to the smallest details. The new underground parking garage features a 6-acre park for its roof. And inside the hospital, a nature theme rules to calm anxious children and stressed-out parents.

The “wows” include a magical forest with café seating and a seek-and-find built into the walls to enchant little ones. Fabricated trees and changing lights and sounds will give a whimsical feeling. Carousel artisans from Mansfield, Ohio, are carving charming animal pals, which will cheer children.

Upgraded security is an unfortunate nod to the times, but will mirror a hotel experience with key cards that allow access to a patient’s room, floor and common area. The cards will deactivate when the patient is discharged.

And hospital rooms will offer an interactive system to let patients and families order movies, surf the Internet, order food or request other services.

To tie a neat bow on the new package, the hospital also unveiled a fresh, butterfly-bedecked logo that includes the motto: “When your child needs a hospital, everything matters.”

This is as good a time as any to step back and marvel at how far the hospital has come. The philanthropic relationship provided by Nationwide Insurance has been transformational, and Nationwide Children’s today draws patients from every Ohio county and U.S. state.

The hospital opened with just nine beds, but today marks more than 1 million patient visits a year.

It will open a new main hospital in June and a third research building shortly after, in time for its 2012 milestone anniversary. The numbers for this project are impressive: The expansion and the renovation of the existing hospital will add 2.4 million square feet to the current 2 million-square-foot campus. It will bring 2,400 hospital and research jobs to Columbus, and it will generate a projected $1.3 billion in new economic activity for the region. But the imagination and care to detail employed is even more impressive.

Dr. Steve Allen, chief executive officer of Nationwide Children’s, credited strong community support for the project and called it “a defining moment for our institution.”

As it is for all of central Ohio. Congratulations to Nationwide Children’s as it counts down to a new campus. The institution that has given so many children a brighter future can look forward to one itself.

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